The Natural (Director's Cut) | 
 enlarge | Director: Barry Levinson
Actors: Robert Redford, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Wilford Brimley, Barbara Hershey
Studio: Sony Pictures
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.94
Buy New: $11.41
You Save: $8.53 (43%)
New (42) Used (13) from $9.76
Rating:  152 reviews
Sales Rank: 3184
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Director's Cut, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Japanese (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Japanese (Dubbed), Portuguese (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 2
Running Time: 144 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: TM2554
UPC: 043396184084
EAN: 0043396184084
ASIN: B000MNOX94
Theatrical Release Date: May 11, 1984
Release Date: April 3, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW, Factory Sealed items direct from the Studios. 30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. Quick International Airmail!
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com essential video
From the sun-dappled heartland, a young man (Robert Redford, in soft lighting) emerges as maybe the best baseball player anybody's ever seen. On his way to the majors, he is cut down by an enigmatic black widow (Barbara Hershey) and vanishes for many years. When he reemerges, a silent mystery, he lands a spot with the New York team and begins tearing up the league--he's still the natural. Fans of the Bernard Malamud novel will be dismayed at the pure mythical hokum of this film, but baseball fanatics have been known to watch and rewatch this one; after all, it's constructed as a kind of shrine to the national pastime. Barry Levinson (IRain Man/I) directs the movie with an unabashed devotion to the game, although the film could use more of the realities of chewing tobacco and pine tar. Redford is fine, and Kim Basinger and Oscar-nominated Glenn Close are effective as the women in his life. The crowning touch is the soaring, extraordinary music by Randy Newman, the singer-songwriter turned orchestral composer. I--Robert Horton/I
Amazon.com
Director Barry Levinson mentions in his video introduction the 1984 movie was rushed to theaters and this 2007 DVD is more the film he originally intended. This "director's cut" adds about 15 minutes of footage and deletes 5. It tightens the first third of the film, yet any fan of the lyrical prologue set in perfect synchronization with Randy Newman's score will be disappointed. Now the beginning is told in flashback as the elder Hobbs returns home. (It's also confusing to keep track of which Hobbs story you are watching when they are both on a train.) The changes do not improve the story or character; it simply packs in more information before Hobbs enters the Knight's dugout. After that, there are a few new scenes and many extensions, most involving Memo (Kim Basinger) and Red (Richard Farnsworth). None of the additions are exceptional. One could hope there is an Easter egg with the remastered original edition. What is on the second disc are above-average featurettes with interviews from most of the major talent. The best little ditties includes Newman's playful "lyrics" to his theme music and Levinson's divulgence that he is the radio play-by-play man. There's a good discussion on adapting (and changing) the novel, the allegorical myths, and the real-life inspirations including a heart-felt segment on Eddie Waitkus, a baseball player who was shot by an obsessed fan. A 5.1 Dolby soundtrack is now available and compliments an excellent video upgrade. I--Doug Thomas/I
Product Description
Nothing was going to stop Roy Hobbs from fulfilling his boyhood dream of baseball superstardom. Robert Redford stars in this inspiring fable that begins when 14-year-old Hobbs (Redford) fashions a powerful bat from a fallen oak tree. He soon impresses major league scouts with his ability, fixing his extraordinary talent in the mind of sportswriter Max Mercy (Duvall), who eventually becomes instrumental in Hobbs' career. But a meeting with a mysterious woman shatters his dream. Years pass and an older Hobbs reappears as a rookie for the New York Knights. Overcoming physical pain and defying those who have a stake in seeing the Knights lose, Hobbs, with his boyhood bat, has his chance to lead the Knights to the pennant and to finally fulfill his dream. Available Subtitles: English, French, Japanese Available Audio Tracks: English (Unknown Format), Japanese (Unknown Format), French (Unknown Format) "A Natural Gunned Down" The stalking of Eddie Waitkus featurette"Clubhouse Conversations" featurette"Extra Innings 1: Slow Motion" featurette"Extra Innings 2: Uniform Color" featurette"Extra Innings 3: The Sandberg Game" featurette"Extra Innings 4: The President?s Question" featuretteThe mythology of The Natural featurette "The Heart of The Natural" featuretteThree "Creating The Natural" featurettesVideo Introduction by Barry LevinsonDigitally Remastered Audio and Video
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| Customer Reviews: Read 147 more reviews...
 The Natural (DVD) October 22, 2008
William Ballard (Landis, NC)
When I ordered the DVD, The Natural, I did not expect it to arrive earlier than originally thought. I was extremely pleased with the speed of shipment as well as the quality of the DVD when it arrived.
 Completely Dissatisfied! October 8, 2008
Nicholas Inden
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
I couldn't even play my new DVD, The Natural, in my my DVD player or my 2 computers. It came scratched in the wrapping. I have never before received a inoperable product until now. Buyer beware!!
The Natural October 5, 2008
C Go (New Mexico)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
At first this movie is a little confusing, but it is still a good movie to watch. You leave feeling good.
 Great movie, a bit slower than I remembered September 2, 2008
L.R.M. (East Coast, USA)
Fabulous scenary and a near perfect baseball movie. Beginning was a bit slower than I remember. We had to see the past (19 years old), getting in to the club (NY Knights), and then the rise and fall of "Bump" Bailey before we could see some great moments from Roy Hobbs. br / br /A definite must for ones collection.
Maybe the best baseball movie of all time - but there's one glaring flaw August 12, 2008
Jason Elin (Backwater, Alabama)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Let's get this out of the way: I LOVE this movie. It's one of the best, if not the best, baseball movies ever made. The sports action is believable, Hobbs (Redford) is an incredible character, and the musical score is phenomenal. Hobbs is, indeed, the natural. He can hit the ball so far and hard that the cover has no choice but to fly off, and an entire electrical system in a stadium is destroyed with a well-placed 750-foot homerun - surge protectors and transformer boxes be damned! Simply incredible, awe-inspiring, and it's a requirement for any fan of sports movies. br / br /As a kid, he was essentially a combination of Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez from The Sandlot and Kelly Leek from The Bad News Bears, except for the fact that he caught better, hit harder, and ran faster than either of the others, and didn't have the smoking habit or the girly hair. The man was made for baseball; he's been a superstar his entire life, the big man on campus. Then he got shot by that evil black-widow, wench Barbara Hershey for absolutely no reason (she should have shot Glenn Close). br / br /Then he takes a ten year layoff with a bullet in his abdomen, and he's still a BAMF sporting an average over .500 and roughly one home run every three at bats! There is simply no comparison to how awesome he was/is. He would have hit the ball right through Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn's chest if he were on Major League (Wild Thing Edition). He would have made Kevin Costner retire before he even met Kelly Preston on For Love of the Game. He would have made Henry Rowengartner from Rookie of the Year pee himself. He would have made Jim Morris from The Rookie (Widescreen Edition) look so bad all the kids from the high school team would have quit and tried out for football. Deniro would have demanded a pay raise for Hobbs if he were in The Fan. The Angels would have just shrugged their shoulders at those two kids in Angels in the Outfield and watched the homerun sail over the fence as the Angels lost. And Hobbs would have simply murdered the entire cast of Fever Pitch (Widescreen Edition) if he were anywhere near that abomination. With all of that said, with Hobbs' legendary status confirmed, with hordes of women no doubt swooning over his rock star status, how am I supposed to believe he would find Glenn Close attractive? br / br /Other than that, I love the movie, and I feel it's nearly perfect. It's not only one of the best baseball movies ever, it's one of the best movies ever.
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